Fallen Angels, Broken Hearts
by kamiyafashions-ryo
Summary: Chapter 3 is up. It's a little slow, forgive me. Feedback would be great. A new character is introduced, and another may be on the verge of death.
1. Separated Wings

Li stared out the window of her temporary home in a remote village in Brazil, watching the rainfall amidst the trees. Sounds of the forest life reached her ears, and she closed her eyes, relishing the quiet calm that such a thing induced in her. It had been so long since she had last been able to escape it all, to empty her mind of all thought and memory and just exist, seemingly one with the world. The war had wrought so much chaos on earth and on the colonies, that such a peace had never even been imaginable. Now the war was past, and Mareimeia's uprising forgotten memory; at least, in the minds of the people. Only a few still had the violent memories of battle and slaughter fresh in their minds. Only a few still felt the scars it had left behind, but only a few. After three years of almost uninterrupted peace, all of humankind had finally settled down and were leading peaceful, happy lives.

The sudden change in lifestyle was almost shocking to the Gundam Pilots who had fought so hard and long for it. They had lived their whole lives in war; peace was only a fairytale. Now it was reality. At first, they were happy to leave their pasts behind and lead this life of peace. Quatre and Ryo had always been the sweetest of the group; though they fought, they always hated it. They had taken to their new lives easier than the rest. Duo had a hard time at first, but with Ryo's guidance he, too, adapted to it. Leigh Lou was next, and slowly, the rest followed suit. After a time, Trowa had left them to go travel with the circus. He said he had promised Catherine he would return.

Li and Heero had stuck together at first, but after a year, Li noticed a slow change in him. He was becoming happier, and seemed to be adjusting very well to his surroundings. Li put a name to it one day. He was becoming more human, just as he had wanted to be. She knew he had been afraid at first that after the war ended, he would be useless. She had silently shared his fears. She was glad for him; he was more comfortable interacting with the people around him, and every time she saw him smile, her happiness grew. Nevertheless, inside she was still afraid, for though Heero had overcome his obstacles and adjusted, she had not. She hid this fact from him, pretending she was just as content as he was, but when alone she was sad. Eventually, this difference created a space between them, and not long after, they had mutually agreed to stop seeing each other. They were just too different, now. Moreover, Li knew it was her fault, but she could do nothing to stop it, which is why she had agreed. Even though deep inside, she still loved him, she refused to hold him back from achieving happiness, for he could never do that with her. A couple months after she had made a sudden decision, she left the colony where the pilots had been living, and just like that, seemingly disappeared. She had done this without warning, impulsively, with no intent of return, before she could change her mind. She had told no one, but then again, that was how she had always been. She had never liked goodbyes.

Now it was two years later. Unable to settle in to her environment, she had moved every few months since. She did not mind it; it was how she had lived during the war. It was familiar. She had never had a place to call home, that place blew up along with her father, and her mother and brother's remains. You only have one home in your life, she reasoned, once you lose it, it will not return. Therefore, she had existed, living in many spots across the globe. However, curiously, she had never ventured back out to space. She did not really know why, maybe it brought back the memories. On the other hand, maybe it was just too close to him.

She had been living in Brazil for longer than she had stayed in any other place since the war. The rainforest was calming to her, and she was not in a hurry to leave it. She knew she would one day in the near future. She did not belong here. Li sighed.

---------------------

"Ryo, sweetheart, what are you thinking about?" Duo Maxwell looked at his pretty wife.

Ryo looked back at him suddenly. He had caught her staring off again. She had been doing that a lot since Li left.

When Li first disappeared it, hit Ryo hard. Ryo did everything she could to find her sister, which became exceedingly difficult with a disconnected phone number and the fact she seemed to have changed her name. Ryo soon became depressed, wondering why her sister would leave without any warning. Ryo would stare out the window for hours at a time, hoping to see Li walking back towards the house. Duo finally got her out of the house and to a therapist. Ryo was now on medication to help her "get back on track."

Still sometimes, she found herself just zoning out, thinking. She looked at Duo and smiled softly, "Just thinking about what a mess I've been these past two years. I've got to shape up before our little one is born," she smiled and placed a hand on her slightly swollen stomach.

Duo kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, honey, you'll be a great mom."

"I'm hoping Li will be back by the time the baby is born. I want her to see him so bad." She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed. "I just hope she's alright."

---------------------

"Oh for the love of Pete's SAKE!" The short-haired red-head growled as she slammed her fist down on the table, "You've got to be kidding me Lady! I'm busting my out there for you and you're withhold my pay!"

The aged woman looked at her blankly, her voice in a calm yet dictative tone, "We've went over this already Cody, and you seem not to be getting the picture Until you cut your hours and start going back to school, I will not pay you. You unlike the others are only fifteen. You technically still have three more years of high school to attend, legally."

"The minute you put me with this company, you were breaking the friggin law!" Cody yelled at her, her gloved fist clenched.

"I did it because I needed you...Now that it's not as intense, you should start thinking about what else you are going to do later on down the line," Lady said and began to fill out some paperwork.

"What, are you going to just throw me away? Is that it, I was a tool and so now, there I go out the window?" She added darkly, her eyes glaring.

Lady Une shed of her glasses and sighed, looking at Cody, "In all reality you should have never joined this force. Now, this is a decision I am making for you. Either start taking night classes and carrying a lighter load during the day or turn in your resignation."

With an angry growl, Cody spun around and stomped out of her office, slamming her door shut and walked to the office she shared with Wufei, slamming it's door shut and causing a plaque to be knocked over. Thumping down heavily into her chair, she kicked her boots up and glared at them, resting her head against her hand while ticking away her anger.

The door opened and she was about to snap when she felt two arms wrap around her. She took a deep breath, taking in the Chinese's man sharp yet gentle aroma of a fresh musk. She rested against him, still angry, her voice quiet, "I really don't know how this is going to work..."

"It'll work fine..." Chang Wufei reassured her, "You're never the one to back out of a challenge Cod, why now?"

"I just don't like it...I don't want to be stuck in a room with a bunch of punks that will harass me," She mumbled.

"What if Li had given you this challenge?" Wufei asked.

"Then I wouldn't have given up...even if it killed me."

The man nodded behind her and turned her around and kissed her softly, "It'll work. I promise."

Cody sighed and stared at the floor, her voice even quieter, "Where is she Fei? Why hasn't she come home already? Why would she leave like that? She can't honestly think she's protecting us or something..."

She stood and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, "I don't know either."

---------------------

Li felt a little guilty, leaving like that. In the beginning, she had imagined how Cody would react, and immediately after she decided it was a good thing she was not there. She would be all fired up with anger, her trademark. She knew that Cody or Ryo would probably accuse her of being selfish, or uncaring, but really, this was helping her. For the first time in her life, she felt as if she had done the right thing. For herself, and others. If she had stayed, it would have been excessively awkward for Heero. He had begun dating a girl named Kara. She was nice, and sweet. Li had been unable to find a flaw in the girl, besides the obvious fact that she was unfit and weak, like every other citizen who had not fought in the war.

Then there was Ryo. It would have been too rude to ask to stay with them until she found her own spot where they lived. They would have said it would not bother them, but what newly married couple wants a guest. No, Ryo had not been an option. Nor had Cody, considering she was hardly able to sustain herself, and due to the new Military Education Act of AC 198, she would be forced to finish school.

Li was not close enough to any of the other pilots besides Quatre to even bother asking. She pulled out her laptop, one of the only things she took to every "home" she moved to. It was for the sole purpose of keeping in constant touch with the outside world. She kept track of MS production manufacturing industries to make sure that nothing like the Mareimeia incident occurred again. She followed the news closely, watching for anomalies and every once in a while, she would hack Preventors main computer to read recent files and missions. This was not hard, considering both she and Heero had designed it, so no one took notice that the system had ever been breached. It was child's play, but she enjoyed it. She would pull up recent profiles on Ryo, Cody, and the others. Constant readings on emotions, troubles, and medical documents were printed there daily, so she could see how they were doing every day. Once, she found that Ryo had been put on some pills because she had somehow become clinically depressed. It was not too soon, after Li had left. It had bothered Li greatly, because she had never thought that her leaving would affect Ryo so greatly. She had not always been there in her younger years, either, so it was not as if it was something she was not used to. During those times, Li had had the strongest yearning to go back, but something in her always repressed it, and she did not know why. Was she actually afraid to go back?

If Cody could hear her thoughts now, she would deck her good, and then probably start yelling about how she was acting like a stupid, selfish, coward. Probably all true, too, but why? She had never been afraid before, so why now, and over something so small? All she was afraid of, really, was that she would go back and they would all be changed and she would be the same, and they would be a symbol of something she had not been able to achieve. She had tried, really, but had failed miserably.

She just could not get used to peacetime. Every day she spent hours training both her body and mind, training reflexes muscles, in an exercise program that was much more intense and harder and tiring than how she had exercised at Preventors. It was like she expected the peace to disappear at any moment, and she wanted to be ready for it. On the other hand, maybe she could not let go. Being the best soldier had always been her goal, the thing she strived for her whole life, because achieving that would help them end the war era. Moreover, they had. She had looked at the peaceful world earth and the colonies had become and had felt this terrible emptiness in her heart. Her very existence, at that moment, was meaningless. She had not been needed from then on, and she had nothing to work towards; no dreams, no goals beyond those achieved in battle. She could not start anew like so many others; this was whom she was. In addition, that, along with the breakup, had been what drove her to leave. She had to figure out how to live in these times. She had to, or she would just fade away into nothing.

---------------------

It was later on that evening after Wufei and Cody had finished cleaning after dinner in their small apartment that the youth walked out onto their balcony and leaned against the railing, gazing out at the dark and the stars. Where are you Li? I need you so much right now... She desperately searched them as if they had an answer; unshed tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't bother to wipe them, just shut her eyes, saddened, Ryo needs you, I want that bitch that Heero is dating to go away...please...come home...

She felt two strong pair of arms turn her around and she found herself being pulled into Wufei's embrace, burying her head into his chest. She clung onto him as tightly as she could and muffled her silent tears in his shirt, feeling his warmth and his sweet aroma taking over senses, completely melting.

"She's somewhere...I promise..." He whispered to her, as if he could read her thoughts.

She nodded and let go of him, wiping her eyes shakily.

---------------------

"Ryo!" Cody called as best as she could, trying her hardest to be happy for her cousin.

She walked into the house holding an entire bucket full of baby stuff, setting it down in the front of the Maxwell house. She decided to bring it over since Ryo had not said any word of a baby shower.

When she found her cousin, she was sitting at the kitchen table, staring numbly at a picture of her and her sister. Cody walked to her gently, putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder, "Hi Ryo..."

Ryo jumped. "Oh Cody! I didn't hear you come in. Did you need something?" She pushed her hair behind her ear and turned the picture face down.

"I brought something for you," Cody took her cousin by the arm and led her to the front entry. Ryo's eyes lit up.

"Is all that for the baby?" She asked trying to hide her excitement.

Cody nodded. "I just thought since you never mentioned having a baby shower I'd bring some things over for you.

Ryo knelt beside the bucket and started going through it. "Oh Cody this is wonderful! Thank you so much!" She looked up at her cousin, tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong? You're crying." Cody knelt beside her.

"It's just so sweet of you... Li would be impressed you did all this for me. She'd probably tease you about going soft, you two would start arguing, and you'd storm off. I'd have to tell Li that you were just trying to be nice... And she'd... she'd say, 'I know. I don't mean to give her such a hard time. It just came out. I'll apologize to her later. You know sometimes, Ryo, I just feel like I can't be nice.'" Ryo looked at her lap, "But she can. She was always nice to me and even you, even if she didn't show it that often. I just don't understand why she would leave us. Did we do something wrong?"

Cody sighed softly and was barely able to speak, a lump in her throat as she formed the words softly, "I...I don't know Ryo. She left for a reason but...it's hard to figure out what..."

Sitting on one knee beside her cousin, she wrapped her arms around Ryo and hugged her tightly, "But no matter the reason, I know she wouldn't want to see you like this. She would want you happy because your going to be a mama, I know she will be when she comes home...cause she has to...one day."

Ryo sniffled slightly when she separated and found a little stuffed animal in the shape of a duck, "A duck?"

"Yup, cause ducks go quack and you can give this to Duo whenever he says something about going crazy," She smiled broadly, "And say, 'You're not crazy, you're too quaky already."

The blonde-haired woman giggled lightly.

"Well not only that, but guys like ducks...and so do girls so I thought you and Duo would like it too," Cody stood and stretched her hands out, wincing.

"You okay?" Ryo stood and Cody helped her.

"Yeah, I'm fine...just old injuries...electricity screws your hands up when you have a bolt of it go through your hand at a young age," The red-head grinned weakly, "No pain, no game, right?"

"Hey! I thought I heard an annoying pest reach my ears," Duo called as he walked in the back door, wiping his hands.

"Yeah, yeah..." Cody rolled her eyes as he gave her a brotherly hug, "I brought some stuff over for the baby."

The American looked down and grinned, kneeling down cheerfully, "This is awesome! You got all this stuff for the baby? Wow."

He stood back up and kissing Ryo lightly before looking to Cody, his eyes flashing with concern and question, "Any...any signs of Li?"

Cody's hazel eyes filled somberly with a soft angered confusion, "If I would have known, I would have been here the minute I found out; but no. Nothing yet."


	2. Explosive Fate

"Mira?" said a hesitant voice. Li turned to see a little girl in a ragged old dress and bare feet. She had black long hair but sky blue eyes that always reminded Li of Ryo because of their uncanny likeness. "What, Sana?" Li asked. Over the last few weeks, the young Brazilian girl attached to her, for reasons that Li could not guess. She had come to view Li as sort of a mother since she had known her. The girl's mother had died during birth and her father was not able to compensate for it. He worked long hours in order to earn money to keep them well fed and clothed, but it was hard work. Sana had taken to spending her days with Li.

Sana looked at her with her blue eyes. "I was just lonely," She said softly. Li looked at the girl. It was true; she did not seem to have any friends. The other village girls had been raised differently and viewed Sana as an outsider.

"Do you want me to play with you?" A dumb question, really, the answer had been in the girl's attention deprived gaze the whole time, but she still had to ask it. It was sort of a meaningless ritual they had developed. Sana was usually always at Li's house every day, her father got home late, if at all. Li did not mind her quiet presence. Instead, she found herself teaching the girl. Sana had no schooling and no money for it, but she enjoyed learning, especially math. She was a quick and good student, and it brought Li a surprising pleasure when Sana finally mastered a rather hard to grasp concept and her face lit up with a smile of happiness. She should smile more often; it suited her.

Sana's happy presence was almost able to divert Li's mind from her darker thoughts, and her concerns. Lately she had had a weird feeling, as if she was being watched. She would be outside or in a building and she would all of a sudden feel alert and the hair on her neck stand up. The first time she had had an ominous feeling was when she was in China, a few months ago. She had been walking through the market when she felt it. She had whipped around, looking for whoever she had felt watching her, but she had found no one. That incident had reminded her of how dangerous it had been for her during the war, and of the many people who had wanted her dead. Normally she would have brushed that thought away, it was peacetime now, but the feeling had persisted. Therefore, Li had started moving more frequently. She used aliases that are more difficult and made sure she moved at odd times. She did not use public transportation that required records of personal information, because they would leave a path behind her. She often retraced her routes to fool any who might follow, and, after a time of thought, had even deleted any of her remaining records from the government's computers and had saved it on a backup disc that she had hid somewhere remote. Li Kamiya did not exist anymore.

Nevertheless, as time passed the feeling slowly grew stronger. Li had raked her memory trying to think of anyone who would want to hurt her, but she could think of none. Everyone been killed in the war. She grew more paranoid.

When Li had reached Brazil the feeling had ceased. Maybe that is why she had relaxed so much. She had been constantly on the run from something unknown for over six months, and finally she felt safe. In the back of her mind, though, she warned herself that something like that could not just disappear; but she had been in Brazil for three months now, and still she felt nothing.

She should leave. She knew she should. No place was truly safe, and whatever had been after her would find her again one day soon. Still she stayed.

---------------

Ryo held her husband's hand tightly as they walked to the doctor's office. She had about two more months before the baby was supposed to be born and this was just a check up.

"Angel, it's going to be okay. It's just a check up," Duo kissed the top of his young wife's head. "You've been doing this for the past seven months. You know the routine."

"I know... I just don't like doctors." Ryo sighed.

"It'll be fine. I'm going to be right here with you the whole time."

After what seemed like forever and several routine tests, the Maxwells were leaving the office. In the car, a special announcement cut through the song that was playing.

"This is Kent Davis with breaking news. At one a.m. this morning a city in Brazil awoke to a controlled bombing. The home that was targeted was said to be housing a terror-" the announcement was cut off by Duo switching the channel.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Ryo screeched, switching back to the station.

"I thought-"

"Shh!" she turned the radio louder.

"-It is not disclosed at whether the terrorist escaped or not, but authorities have informed us that if she did she will be badly wounded. Police warn to be on the lookout for a woman around her twenties with serious burns and injuries. Thank you for your patience and you will now be returned to your regularly scheduled program." Music began playing again.

Ryo turned it down and sat back in the seat.

"What was that all about?" Duo asked.

"I just wanted to listen." Ryo said nonchalantly.

"You nearly bit my head off."

"Sorry. Moody I guess," She smiled and kissed his cheek.

---------------

Quatre was in his quarters in a Maganac underground base in Saudi Arabia when he received the call. It had been converted into one of the many smaller branches of Preventors that were scattered throughout earth and the colonies after the war. Unlike Preventors HQ, though, these branches were hidden and, as far as anyone besides the employees knew, did not exist. They had been created to oversee the earth sphere and keep the peace without arousing political suspicion. Most would decide that Preventors possessed too much power and would view them as a potential threat, so they kept a low profile.

Quatre was visiting the Arabian base just to observe the progress made. He had been assigned to the base for a month to head operations and oversee their actions. It was just a routine check. There were plenty of these the last few years because Preventors wanted to be ready in case more trouble arose. There had been peace for three years so far, and war did not look like it would ever be coming anytime soon.

Quatre was sitting at his desk overlooking paperwork when the phone rang. He picked up the phone to hear a Maganac soldier's voice.

"There's a call for you, Master Quatre. It's a woman. She won't give us her name but she said to tell you that a long lost friend wants to speak with you if you have the time." His voice held an edge of confusion and curiosity.

Quatre's mind worked fast. Long lost friend . . . that was Li! Was it her? "Thank you, can you please put her through and switch us to a secure line?" Quatre asked quickly.

"Yes sir." There were two clicks in a row.

"Li?" Quatre said after a second, heart beating fast. He had not seen his friend in two and a half years.

"Hey, Quet." She answered.

"Where have you been! You just up and disappeared one day! You could have told us." Quatre was a bit angry with her. After all, he had been worried for quite a while.

"I don't have time for explanations right now, Quatre, I need your help. I'll tell you everything later." Li had an edge of caution in her voice that made Quatre worry once more. She sounded more strained than he had ever heard her. Something was definitely wrong.

"What?"

"I need you to pick me up and soon. Can you do that?"

"Of course. Where?"

Li gave him the coordinates and then paused. "Don't stand out, Quet. I need to leave without being seen or noticed by anyone."


	3. Clipped Hope

Ryo was browsing through the morning paper. She seemed to be looking for something.

"Morning beautiful," Duo said planting a light kiss on her neck before going to the coffee maker. "You're up early."

"Mm hmm. I started the coffee already so don't pour it out," she said her eyes not leaving the page.

Duo paused with the coffee pot above the sink, "Oh, thank you."

She turned and looked at him, "You were really going to pour it out? It's hot. You can see the steam rising off it. It's not yesterday's or it would be cold," she smiled, "Honestly, Maxwell, use your head." she turned back to the paper.

"Hey, it's routine..." he said laughing slightly in his defense.

"Uh huh. Sure," she smiled to herself as Duo walked up behind her and rested his chin on her head. "You sassing me again?" he asked.

"What if I am?" she replied.

"That mouth of yours is really getting on my nerves."

She turned in her chair to look at him, "What are you going to do about it, braid boy?" she asked smirking.

He set down his coffee and pulled her to her feet, "I'm going to have to keep it otherwise occupied." He kissed he softly.

She smiled and wrapped he arms around his neck and stood slightly on her tiptoes so he would not have to lean down so far. She kissed him back. "Ought we to have breakfast first?" she said.

He smiled at her and unwrapped her arms, "Alright, your call. Breakfast it is." He picked up his coffee and headed to the refrigerator. "What do you want this morning?"

She looked slightly hurt, "I was only kidding." she hugged him from behind.

"Nope you're right. Besides you are eating for two," he began pulling eggs out of the fridge. "Is pancakes alright with you?"

"As long as I get chocolate chips in mine..." she pouted. "What do you need me to do?"

"Nothing, just sit down and relax."

Ryo sat back down and looked through the paper again. A moment later, she flipped back to the front and began cutting an article out.

Duo looked over to her, "Umm, Ryo. I haven't read that yet."

"It's not an important article anyway," she finished her cutting, got up, kissed Duo lightly on the cheek, "I'll be right back." She walked out of the kitchen and headed towards the baby's room. She returned shortly, empty-handed. She sat back down, flipped to the middle of the paper, and pulled out the Sunday comics.

Duo looked at her and shook his head. He knew that Ryo. He did not know when she had taken an interest in the articles of the paper, but he had found several other papers with cut out articles. He smiled; maybe it was just a hobby she had taken up to show their new baby what had happened the year he was born.

---------------

Quatre soon found himself with two other Maganac soldiers driving through the back streets of Seoul. The small car had tinted glass and bulletproof windows, as the soldiers had insisted that he at least go with that little amount of protection. Quatre was used to this by now, so he had agreed. Besides, considering the way Li had acted on the phone, they might need it.

Quatre nervously played with a pen as they drove, urging them to go faster. He felt apprehensive, and he knew he would feel much better as soon as he saw Li and was reassured that she was all right. They were almost to the place that Li had directed them to, and Quatre sat up straighter in his seat, taking in his surroundings.

The road they were on was so narrow their car barely had enough room to squeeze by the closely packed buildings it passed. It was nighttime, and the moon was full, providing the sparse light that they were using to see as they drove, because they dared not turn on the headlights since doing so would draw unwanted attention. Quatre watched nervously as they emerged from the small road into a dimly lit area that was not much more than a small gap in the center of the city. The car slowed to a stop, and, spying a dark figure waiting in the shadows of an abandoned building, Quatre hurriedly got out of the car.

"Li?"

She nodded and he ran over to her. "You made sure you weren't followed?" She asked softly.

"Of course, the war hasn't been over so long that I'd forget old habits." He smiled, which quickly turned into a frown as he noticed the way she was standing. She was leaning against the wall, weight braced against it and her right leg. "Wait a second, are you injured? What happened?"

She grimaced, "In due time, Quatre. Long story short, yes, I'm hurt. I'll tell you the rest after we're out of this place."

Quatre bit back the tide of questions that rushed to his mind at her answer. He sighed, "Can you make it to the car?"

Li eyed it unhappily, "Yes, but it would probably . . . Take me a while . . ." She said this last bit with so much difficulty that Quatre got the distinct impression that it took a lot for her to admit it to him. Li had always been the type that hated her own weaknesses.

"Then I'll help" Quatre let Li sling an arm over his shoulder and put most of her weight on him so she could walk. It was in this way that they made it to the car. He helped her into the back seat then went to the other side of the car and jumped in. "Let's go," He said to the driver.

"Yes sir, Master Quatre." The car began to move and quickly left the alley behind.

---------------

Leigh Lou Cheng sighed a quiet sigh of happiness as she stepped off the transport and made her way over to grab her baggage before heading over to her brother and best Friend's house.

It had been quite some time since she had been back here, especially with Quatre now stationed on earth. After a short breakup during the adjustment period, they were back together, happy and simple, letting things take time and grow before taking a plunge of any form.

Lou had been devastated when Li disappeared, she wasn't terribly close to the woman, but for Ryo, knowing that the young hearted girl would take everything hard and most likely be angry and confused for a long time. Now she wished she had returned sooner. Selfish thoughts were what kept her away, and for the first time since she met her exclusive group of friends, she was not in touch when she felt needed. Instead, she was in the back hills of Europe and Asia, looking for items to put in her well-known antique and knick-knack shop. When she came back, Quatre had been talking to Wufei, who was quite explicit with the harsh realities and reactions both Cody and Ryo were taking to the situation now. The protecting instinct took over, and with Quatre insistence and agreement, she came back to the colonies to stay with Duo and Ryo for a while. An undefined time, until she felt she was not needed anymore.

Therefore, this is how she found herself standing on the Maxwell doorstep, knocking loudly and smiling as her adopted brother and guardian opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief.

Duo looked at Lou a moment before wrapping her in a tight hug. "Hey, sis."

Lou smiled slightly, "Hey yourself."

He pulled her inside setting her bags on the floor beside her. "I thought your flight was later in the day. I was going to come pick you up."

"I know, but I had a chance for an earlier flight, so I took it," She looked around him, "Where's Ryo?"

"She's napping. Carrying a kid just drains her with everything else." he sighed.

"Seems to be draining you as well." Lou crossed her arms and looked at him.

"You think so? Lets go talk in the kitchen. Do you want something to eat?" He did his best to be a good host.

She followed him, "Just a cup of tea. I ate on the flight." She sat down at the table while he fixed the drinks. "So how has Ryo been doing? Quet says she wasn't doing too well for a while."

"She's getting better. The medicine is really helping. Sometimes she forgets to take it and I catch her getting down on herself, and blaming herself for Li leaving. Those days are hard... I just wish Li would hurry up and come home. Maybe then Ryo and Heero would go back to normal."

"Heero?"

"Yeah, he's been real out of it since she left. Hell, he hasn't been himself since they split. He wishes they could have worked it out. He is still in love with her."

"Who's in love with who?" Ryo yawned as she stumbled in the kitchen, "Duo who are you... Lou?" Ryo's eyes brightened.

Leigh Lou stood, "Hey, sweetheart. You look beautiful."

"Don't give me that. I look like crap." Ryo smiled and held out her arms, "Get your butt over here and hug me." She embraced Lou tightly.

Lou held Ryo at arms length, "Ryo, sweetheart, why are you crying?"

She sniffled and wiped her tears as she smiled, "I'm just so glad to see you. I was hoping to look all pretty and together when you got here. You came early and ruined my plan. I wanted to make you think I was alright."

"Oh, Ryo. It's okay. You know I can see through that anyway."

"I know... I just feel so bad for having to drag you away from your antique shop. I know Quatre and Duo asked you to come. I thought that if I could pass off as being okay, you would be able to go back to your work. I know you love it..."

"Ryo, you are more important than my work. You are my best friend, my sister-in-law; I was planning to come for the baby anyway. I wouldn't dare miss my first nephew being born." She smiled.

Ryo smiled, "...Okay... You want to see the baby's room?"

---------------

Under the jet's lighting, Quatre got a better look at Li. She had a deep gash on her face running from the bottom of her left eye all the way past her cheek bone and down almost to her chin. It was still slightly bleeding and it had not been tended to. Surrounding the gash were bad bruises. Her neck was cut as well, though not nearly as bad. Because of Li's outfit, Quatre could not see any other damage but he knew there was more. He shook his head as he rummaged around for the medical kit. He found it and brought it over to her. Sitting down next to her, he opened it and began laying out supplies on his lap and the seat next to him. Li watched him unconcerned.

"Are you going to tell me how you got in the shape you're in?" Quatre asked again, giving her a stern look. He reached out and began cleaning the gash on her cheek.

Li flinched slightly, then sighed. "Okay." She was quiet in thought for a few seconds, "I'm correct in assuming that you heard about that terrorist in Brazil, right?"

Quatre nodded, "The one that got away after the bombing?"

"Yeah," Li gave him a look.

Quatre stared at her for a few seconds, "Are you telling me that was you?"

She nodded slightly so as not to disturb his work.

"But wait, why would they bomb you, Li? You're not a terrorist. I mean, unless these last two years you've decided to change your ways . . . "

Li grinned, "Not yet, Quatre. No, I'm not a terrorist. I'm injured because I had no idea I was going to be bombed and no warning. It came out of nowhere."

"Do you know who could have done it?"

"No, of course not. If I knew then I wouldn't be here I'd be out there trying to get my payback."

Quatre laughed. "I can see you doing that."

"I know I'm stubborn. It just makes me angry to have no idea what's going on."

"Do you have an idea of a motive?" He asked, "Hold still, I'll need to stitch this gash closed."

"Okay." There was silence for a few minutes as Quatre quickly tended to her wound. Li didn't pay attention to him, looking straight ahead deep in thought.

Quatre straightened up from his work. "Done. It's pretty deep, so you'll most likely see some scarring there."

"That's fine."

"It could have been worse. Half an inch higher and you would have lost your eye. You got lucky"

"Don't I always?"

"You can't rely on luck forever."

"I know that, Quatre. I know that very well. To tell you the truth, I can't even figure out why I'm still alive right now." Li said softly.

Quatre frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I was right in the center of that blast, Quatre. Right before that bomb blew, I had no idea it was there. In the last few seconds, though, I got a call from one of the people who were trying to kill me."

"And?" Quatre asked softly.

"All he said was 'See you in hell, Kamiya'. As soon as he said that, I knew I was dead. Then the bomb went off."

---------------

"Absolutely honey." Lou smiled lightly, "And don't worry about my shop, alright? Rashid and Mohammad Allen are watching it and stuff, and Quet will check in on it. Video phones do help." She hugged Ryo again, smiling, "You are taking care of yourself, right?"

Ryo nodded, "Uh huh. Best as I can."

"And how much is best?"

Ryo turned and faced her, "As much as I can handle until it stops hurting." She smiled at Leigh Lou before looking forward.

Lou shook her head. It gave her chills how fake that smile was. Ryo had changed immensely in the time she had been gone, but according to what Duo and Quatre had told her, everyone had changed.

Duo shrugged lightly in Lou's direction, and she dutifully followed Ryo into the baby's room, already planning her first call to Quatre in the back of her head. She needed to talk to him, Ryo was teetering on the edge, and it worried her greatly.

Ryo opened a door to show a beautifully decorated room in different shades of blues and yellows.

"Ryo, this is beautiful. Did you do it yourself?"


End file.
